Breathalyzer coaching and setup methodology

ABSTRACT

Methods of coaching a user of a breathalyzer to make use of correct blowing technique when blowing into the breathalyzer are provided. Methods of setting up a breathalyzer such that it adjusts a breathalyzer&#39;s parameters to account for jurisdictional variations in blood and/or breath alcohol limits and other standards are also provided.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of United Kingdom Patent ApplicationNo. GB1518600.0, filed Oct. 20, 2015, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to methods of coaching a user of abreathalyzer to make use of correct blowing technique when blowing intothe breathalyzer. Methods of setting up a breathalyzer such that itadjusts a breathalyzer's parameters to account for jurisdictionalvariations in blood and/or breath alcohol limits and/or other standardsare also described.

Although the present disclosure is described primarily with reference toa breathalyzer used by drivers of vehicles, it equally applies tobreathalyzers used for other purposes such as, e.g., workforce oroffender monitoring, etc.

In order to quickly determine whether a person has no, or sufficientlylow, levels of alcohol in their bloodstream to safely operate saidvehicle most jurisdictions/organizations have adopted certain BloodAlcohol Content (BAC) or Breath Alcohol Content (BrAC) upper thresholds.

Several different types of breathalyzer's exist to detect a person'sBAC/BrAC; however, many of these suffer from inaccuracies that make themunreliable and sometimes difficult to use. For instance, some knownbreathalyzers do not monitor the pressure/volume/flowrate of the user'sbreath sample and do not therefore display any error message when usedincorrectly. This can lead to erroneous results and consequent possibleadverse repercussions unbeknown to the user. Some known breathalyzers domonitor the pressure/volume/flowrate of the sample provided by the userand provide a generic error message if these values are causing anyerrors in the reading obtained; this means that these devices can bedifficult and frustrating to use since an untrained or inexperienceduser does not know which aspect of the breath sample is causing aproblem with the reading, or what is required to correct it.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provideda breathalyzer coaching methodology for coaching a user of abreathalyzer to make use of correct blowing technique, the methodcomprising:

gathering a sample breath provided by a user;

determining the instantaneous volume V, flowrate F and pressure P of thesample breath as it is being provided by the user;

determining whether the determined sample breath instantaneous volume Vis less than a minimum threshold breath sample volume V1;

determining whether the determined sample breath instantaneous flowrateF is greater than a maximum threshold breath sample flowrate FMAX,between a maximum threshold breath sample flowrate and a minimumthreshold breath sample flowrate FMIN, or less than the minimum samplebreath flowrate FMIN;

determining whether the determined sample breath instantaneous pressureP is greater than a maximum threshold breath sample pressure PMAX,between a maximum threshold breath sample pressure and a minimumthreshold breath sample pressure PMIN, or less than the minimum samplebreath pressure PMIN; and

forming a diagnosis of any problems with the user's blowing techniquebased on said detected instantaneous volume V, flowrate F or pressure Pvalues and providing at least a corrective coaching message to the userdepending upon said diagnosis.

Another problem with existing breathalyzers is that a breathalyzerdesigned to be used in one jurisdiction (country/region) may givemisleading results if used in other jurisdictions due to differingBAC/BrAC Ratios (BER) and other differences in parameters stipulated bydiffering jurisdictions. Furthermore, one breathalyzer cannot currentlycomply with multiple national or international standards since adjustingmany of the required parameters requires specialist knowledge or for thebreathalyzer to be returned to the manufacturer for adjustment andre-certification. This causes issues for users who may wish to use theirbreathalyzer in several countries and presents stocking andmanufacturing complications for the breathalyzer manufacturers and theirsupply chain.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure there is provideda method of adjusting a breathalyzer unit's parameters to account forvariations in jurisdictional legal requirements and any prevailingbreathalyzer standard in place in the jurisdiction, the methodcomprising: displaying to a user a list of individual entries for aplurality of jurisdictions and associated legal requirements and anyprevailing breathalyzer standard in place in the jurisdiction, saidindividual entries having preloaded data relating to first and secondtier jurisdictional legal requirements and any prevailing breathalyzerstandard in place in the jurisdiction, and an identifier title referringto said first and second tier jurisdictional legal requirements and anyprevailing breathalyzer standard in place in the jurisdiction such thata user may select the appropriate jurisdiction and associated first andsecond tier jurisdictional legal requirements and any prevailingbreathalyzer standard in place in the jurisdiction by selecting anindividual entry from said list by way of the identifier title.

Further features and advantages of the first and second aspects of thepresent disclosure will become apparent from the claims and thefollowing description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by way ofexample only, with reference to the following diagrams, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a breathalyzer coachingmethodology of the first aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of adjusting abreathalyzer's parameters to account for variations in jurisdictionalstandards in accordance with the second aspect of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a breathalyzer which is providedwith the systems of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the methods subsequently described may beprovided by a battery powered hand-held breathalyzer unit 10 having abreath sampling inlet 12, a power button 14 and a message display screen16. The breathalyzer unit 10 is fitted with one or more sensors that arecapable of determining the volume, instantaneous flow rate and pressureof air blown into the inlet 12 at any instant by the user during thesampling event.

With reference to step 1 of FIG. 1, a user first blows into thebreathalyzer unit. Whilst blowing into the unit, the logic steps 2, 4,6, 8, 10, 12, 14 (discussed subsequently) are cycled through repeatedlyin order to monitor the blowing parameters of the sample whilst it isbeing gathered. If any incorrect blowing technique is being applied thetest is stopped as soon as that is detected and the user is notifiedaccordingly.

At each of steps 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 the sensors of the unitdetermine the instantaneous volume V obtained at that point in thesampling event and determine whether this is less than a minimumrequired threshold breath sample volume V1. Lf V is less than V1 (i.e.an insufficient total volume of air has been provided by the user atthat stage of the sampling event and the sampling event is thereforestill ongoing) then a series of AND logic steps are performed in steps2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 in order to continually monitor whether the pressureand flowrate of the sample are within pressure and flowrate parameters.In this way, step 14 (where V is greater than or equal to V1) can onlybe reached if the other checks of steps 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 have beensuccessfully passed.

At step 2 of FIG. 1, an assessment is made of whether V is less than V1AND the sampled flowrate F is greater than or equal to FMAX for greaterthan or equal to a length of time T1 (such as e.g. 0.5 seconds). If thisis the case then the test is immediately stopped and a correctingcoaching message communicating this fact to the user is displayed atstep 3. For example the message may declare “Blowing too hard. Blowslightly softer for longer”. The “slightly softer” terminology referringto FMAX having been exceeded for greater than

T1. If the flow rate F is not greater than FMAX for greater than T1 thenstep 4 is carried out next as described below.

At step 4 of FIG. 1, an assessment is made of whether V continues to beless than V1 AND the sampled flowrate F is less than or equal to aminimum permissible flowrate value FMIN for greater than or equal to alength of time T2 (such as e.g. 0.5 seconds). If this is the case thenthe test is immediately stopped and a correcting coaching messagecommunicating this fact to the user is displayed at step 5. For examplethe message may declare “Blowing too soft. Blow slightly harder forlonger”. The “slightly harder” terminology referring to FMIN having beenexceeded for greater than T2. If the flow rate F is not less than orequal to FMIN for greater than T2 then step 6 is carried out next asdescribed below.

At step 6 of FIG. 1, an assessment is made of whether V continues to beless than V1 AND the sampled pressure P is greater than or equal to amaximum permissible pressure value PMAX for greater than or equal to alength of time T3 (such as e.g. 0.5 seconds). If this is the case thenthe test is immediately stopped and a correcting coaching messagecommunicating this fact to the user is displayed at step 7. For examplethe message may declare “Blowing too hard. Blow slightly softer forlonger”. The “slightly softer” terminology referring to PMAX having beenexceeded for greater than T3. If the pressure P is not greater than orequal to PMAX for greater than T3 then step 8 is carried out next asdescribed below.

At step 8 of FIG. 1, an assessment is made of whether V continues to beless than V1 AND the sampled pressure P is less than or equal to aminimum permissible pressure value PMIN for greater than or equal to alength of time T4 [such as e.g. 0.5 seconds). If this is the case thenthe test is immediately stopped and a correcting coaching messagecommunicating this fact to the user is displayed at step 9. For examplethe message may declare “Blowing too soft. Blow slightly harder forlonger. The slightly harder” terminology referring to PMIN having beenexceeded for greater than T4. If the pressure P is not less than orequal to PMIN for greater than T4 then step 10 is carried out next asdescribed below.

At step 10 of FIG. 1, an assessment is made of whether V continues to beless than V1 AND whether either the sampled pressure P or the sampledflowrate F is equal to or near zero (Le. where the user has stoppedblowing). If this is the case then the test is immediately stopped and acorrecting coaching message communicating this fact to the user isdisplayed at step 11. For example the message may declare “Please blowcontinuously for longer”. If the pressure P and flowrate F do not equalzero then step 12 is carried out next as described below.

At step 12 an assessment is made of whether V continues to be less thanV1 AND of the number N of times in total during the sampling event thepressure P or flowrate F have been determined to breach the respectivePMAX, PMIN, FMAX, FMIN threshold parameters) regardless of whether ornot this has occurred over a shorter duration than times T1, T2, T3, T4.This is then compared to a pre-set maximum threshold number of breachesNT. If N is greater than NT (where for example the user has blownrelatively steadily but has in fact breached the parameters for veryshort periods of time) the test is immediately stopped and a correctingcoaching message communicating this fact to the user is displayed atstep 13. For example the message may declare “Please blow at a steadypressure”.

This acts as an additional check which catches any anomalies in thesample that could otherwise create a “pass” result for each of the othersteps described above. If N is less than NT [e.g. where there is nounsteadiness in the breath flowrate/pressure or where there have onlybeen a small number of short parameter breaches) then step 14 is carriedout next as described below.

At step 14, the sample has passed each of the assessments in steps 2, 4,6, 8. 10 and 12 and a check is then made to determine if the volume Vobtained at that instant is greater than or equal to V1. If it is notthen the logic recycles to step 2 for continued cycled monitoring byrepeating steps 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. This cycle is rapidly repeateduntil such time as V is greater than or equal to V1 at which point step15 is then carried out next.

Since some jurisdictions stipulate that breathalyzer sampling must occurover a certain minimum (TMIN) or maximum (TMAX) sampling duration, atstep 15 an assessment is made on whether the Total Duration (TD) of thesampling event [e.g. the amount of time the user has been blowing intothe unit) is less than TMIN. If this is the case then a correctingcoaching message communicating this fact to the user is displayed atstep 16. For example the message may declare “Please blow softer forlonger”. If TD is not less than TMIN then step 17 is carried out next asdescribed below.

At step 17, an assessment is made on whether the Total Duration (TD) ofthe sampling event is greater than TMAX. If this is the case then acorrecting coaching message communicating this fact to the user isdisplayed at step 18. For example the message may declare “Please blowslightly harder.” If TD is not greater than TMAX then all of thevalidations at logic steps 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15 and 17 have beenpassed and the unit determines that the correct blowing technique musttherefore have been applied throughout the sampling event. The obtainedbreath sample is therefore then measured and the results communicated tothe user at step 19.

The above blow coaching methodology provides a greatly enhanced userexperience and more accurate and reliable testing results for any givensample obtained since it provides instantaneous monitoring and feedbackto the user during the sampling event. Furthermore, the resulting deviceis user friendly and quicker to use than known products since fewerfailed attempts occur. In addition, successfully collecting a breathsample without several failed attempts increases the accuracy of thereading obtained as several failed attempts will result in a temporaryfalse lowering of the lung alcohol content of the user due to severaldeep lung exhalations and breaths.

With reference to FIG. 2 a method of adjusting a breathalyzer'sparameters to automatically account for variations in jurisdictionalBBR, BAC BrAC thresholds and other standards will now be described.

In accordance with this methodology, prior to the user blowing into thebreathalyzer unit, they must first set up the unit depending upon theirjurisdictional/geographical location e.g. whether they are driving inone country/region or another. In order to set up the unit the user isfirst asked which country or region they are driving in (or intend todrive in). This is input at step 1 as a first tier validation input. Anexample first tier validation input might be to select the country(e.g., the United Kingdom) from a list of preloaded countries.

After selecting the country at step 2, a cross-check is made as towhether that country has any second tier validation requirements whichrequire user input. For instance these might include regional variationsin BAC/BrAC thresholds or (where the selected region or country has morethan one BAC/BrAC threshold) a selection of the BAC/BrAC threshold to beapplied.

If the selected country has standards which do not require second tiervalidation from the user then the appropriate standards for that regionare gathered from a database and applied to the breathalyzer at step 3.

Said database of standards to be applied may be remote from thebreathalyzer (and hence accessed by wireless or wired means) orinstalled locally in the memory of the breathalyzer. The standardsobtained may include e.g. the following:

The approved BBR to be applied in that jurisdiction in order to converta Breath Alcohol Content (BrAC) reading to a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)reading. This is necessary because some jurisdictions require the breathalcohol content result to be converted to an estimated blood alcoholcontent using an approved BBR. Different jurisdictions have adoptedtheir own assumed/approved BBR when preparing their legislation—forinstance [at the time of writing) this ratio is 2000:1 in France andScandinavia; 2100:1 in the USA, Australia and Korea; and 2300:1 in theUnited Kingdom, Malaysia and Republic of Ireland. If the incorrect BBRis relied on in the wrong jurisdiction then the breathalyzer willdisplay incorrect BAC results.

The unit of measure to be applied in that jurisdiction. This isnecessary because different jurisdictions use different units of measureto display the test result. Some jurisdictions require the result to bedisplayed as a BAC reading (which requires conversion from a BrACreading), whereas others require or accept the result to be displayed asa raw BrAC reading. Furthermore BrAC and BAC readings have severaldifferent units of measure and certain jurisdictions will requirereadings to be displayed in one unit of measure whereas others willrequire readings to be displayed in a different unit of measure.

The BrAC/BAC thresholds which apply to that jurisdiction. This isnecessary because such thresholds vary from jurisdiction to jurisdictiondue to corresponding variations in legislation. Indeed, in certainterritories several different limits exist in even a single region fordrivers of different types of vehicles, ages or levels of drivingexperience etc.

The volume of breath sample required. This is necessary becauselegislation in different jurisdictions require different minimum,maximum or specific volumes of breath to be exhaled through thebreathalyzer by the user before a sample's alcohol concentration isanalyzed. For example, the European EN 16280:2012 standard mandates thatat least 1.2 liters of breath must be exhaled through the breathalyzerin any sampling event, whereas the Australian 3547-1997 standardmandates 1 liter.

The minimum and or maximum flow rate of the breath exhaled through thebreathalyzer by the user to perform a successful test, This is necessarybecause different jurisdictions may require different minimum andmaximum breath flow rates to comply with their national standards.

The minimum and or maximum duration that the user must blow the requiredsample volume through the breathalyzer in to perform a successful test.This is necessary because different jurisdictions may require differentminimum and maximum values to comply with their national standards.

The prevailing national standard which may include information on anumber of other parameters to be complied with which are specific tothat jurisdiction and or national standard. For example, the Europeanand Australian standards require a different method of displaying anyresults of a breathalyzer test, the method of rounding results andcommunicating those results.

At step 4, the user is then informed that the unit has been set up forthe selected jurisdiction and is therefore ready to use in thatjurisdiction.

In the event that the cross check at step 2 of FIG. 2 determines thatsecond tier validation is required for the selected jurisdiction theseare obtained at steps 5 and 6 prior to confirming the new settings.Examples of second tier validation inputs which might be obtained fromthe user at step 6 include e.g. a selection of the BrAC/BAC upperthresholds to be applied where the jurisdiction has more than one (e.g.the user may be asked to input their age, years of driving experience,type of vehicle etc. or select the option most appropriate to them froma list) or the specific region within the country they have selected(e.g. a user having selected the United Kingdom at step 1 may be askedto select from Scotland or England and Wales at step 6).

Based on the inputs provided by the user at steps 1 and 6, theappropriate standards are then gathered from a database and applied tothe breathalyzer at step 4. Again, said database may be remote from thebreathalyzer (and hence accessed by wireless or wired means) orinstalled locally in the memory of the breathalyzer. The standardsobtained may include similar variables as outlined above in respect ofthe first tier validations; however, the values of these will have beenselected depending upon the second tier validation inputs from the userat step 6.

The above described methodology allows a single breathalyzer to complywith several international standards and legislations so it can be usedinternationally with minimal effort and without the need for the user tohave specialist knowledge, training or to return the item to themanufacturer's service center for adjustments. It ensures accuratereadings in all jurisdictions regardless of differing BBRs and greatlyreduces the risk of user confusion and applying incorrect settings whichcould lead to the breathalyzer giving inaccurate readings.

Although particular embodiments of the disclosure have been disclosedherein in detail, this has been done by way of example and for thepurposes of illustration only. The aforementioned embodiments are notintended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the appendedclaims.

It is contemplated by the inventors that various substitutions,alterations, and modifications may be made to the disclosure withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by theclaims.

Examples of these include the following:

Although in the embodiments described, the messages of the blow coachingmethodology are described as being long-form text based messagesdisplayed to a user, this information could be displayed in alternativeformats. For example, the messages may be provided in an audible voiceor sound message. Alternatively, the Visual display messages may be atable or icon based message system which provides “tick boxes” or othersymbols to indicate which elements of the test have been passed in anysampling event, which elements have been failed in any sampling eventand provides suggestions on how best the user can remedy any fails.

Rather than require the user to manually input the location of thedriver/breathalyzer unit, the breathalyzer unit may be provided withlocating means (such as on or off-board location sensors/GPS/smartphoneinterface etc.) which allows automatic determination of the unitlocation at any given time. Indeed, this may be a real-time or nearreal-time process which constantly assesses and applies the correctBrAC/BAG thresholds and other parameters for any given jurisdiction.

In the described embodiment of the method for adjusting a breathalyzer'sparameters to automatically account for variations in jurisdictionalBBR, BAC/BrAC thresholds, first and second tier validations areutilized; however, this could alternatively be achieved by combining therequired variables into a single validation step by displaying severaloptions for regions with second tier validation requirements at thefirst tier validation point. For example, the country list for theNetherlands could include two separate country listings from which theuser can select—one for “Netherlands—Driver with Less Than 5 Years'Experience” and another for “Netherlands—Driver with More Than 5 Years'Experience”.

Rather than steps 15 and 17, an alternative method of determiningwhether the user is blowing too hard or too softly is to calculate howlong it is likely to take to obtain the required volume of breath samplebased on the detected instantaneous flow rate values and the requiredvolume of breath sample using the equation Time=Volume/Flowrate. Oncethe time has been calculated this can then be compared to the TMIN andTMAX values of the appropriate standard in order to immediatelydetermine whether the user is likely to exceed these parameters andhence whether the user is blowing too hard or too softly.

1. A breathalyzer coaching methodology for coaching a user of abreathalyzer to make use of correct blowing technique, the methodcomprising: gathering a sample breath provided by a user; determiningthe instantaneous volume V, flowrate F and pressure P of the samplebreath as it is being provided by the user; determining whether thedetermined sample breath instantaneous volume V is less than a minimumthreshold breath sample volume V1; determining whether the determinedsample breath instantaneous flowrate F is greater than a maximumthreshold breath sample flowrate FMAX, between a maximum thresholdbreath sample flowrate and a minimum threshold breath sample flowrateFMIN, or less than the minimum sample breath flowrate FMIN; determiningwhether the determined sample breath instantaneous pressure P is greaterthan a maximum threshold breath sample pressure PMAX, between a maximumthreshold breath sample pressure and a minimum threshold breath samplepressure PMIN, or less than the minimum sample breath pressure PMIN; andforming a diagnosis of any problems with the user's blowing techniquebased on said detected instantaneous volume V, flowrate F or pressure Pvalues and providing at least a corrective coaching message to the userdepending upon said diagnosis.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thestep of determining whether the instantaneous flowrate F status isgreater than FMAX further comprises determining whether said status isendured for greater than a threshold period of time T1.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the instantaneousflowrate F status is less than FMIN further comprises determiningwhether said status is endured for greater than a threshold period oftime T2.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determiningwhether the instantaneous pressure P status is greater than PMAX furthercomprises determining whether said status is endured for greater than athreshold period of time T3.
 5. The method of claim herein the step ofdetermining whether the instantaneous pressure P status is less thanPMIN further comprises determining whether said status is endured forgreater than a threshold period of time T4.
 6. A method according toclaim 5, comprising determining the number of times N during a samplingevent while the sampled volume V is less than or equal to V1, where thesampled pressure P is less than or equal to PMIN or greater than PMAX,or the flowrate F is less than or equal to FMIN or greater than FMAX,and comparing this number of failed criteria within the sampling eventto a maximum threshold number of failed criteria NT.
 7. A breathalyzeradapted to perform the steps of claim
 1. 8. A method of adjusting abreathalyzer unit's parameters to account for variations injurisdictional legal requirements and any prevailing breathalyzerstandard in place in the jurisdiction, the method comprising: displayingto a user a list of individual entries for a plurality of jurisdictionsand associated legal requirements and any prevailing breathalyzerstandard in place in the jurisdiction, said individual entries havingpreloaded data relating to first and second tier jurisdictional legalrequirements and any prevailing breathalyzer standard in place in thejurisdiction, and an identifier title referring to said first and secondtier jurisdictional legal requirements and any prevailing breathalyzerstandard in place in the jurisdiction such that a user may select theappropriate jurisdiction and associated first and second tierjurisdictional legal requirements and any prevailing breathalyzerstandard in place in the jurisdiction by selecting an individual entryfrom said list by way of the identifier title.
 9. A method according toclaim 8, further comprising: conducting a first tier validation processin order to gather details on the jurisdiction in which the breathalyzeris to be used; and dependent on the jurisdiction selected in the firsttier validation process, determining whether said jurisdiction and orprevailing breathalyzer standard in place for the jurisdiction requiresa second tier validation process to be performed; and where it isdetermined that a second tier validation process is required, requestingsecond tier validation inputs from the user and then obtaining andapplying jurisdictional legal requirements and any prevailingbreathalyzer standard in place in the jurisdiction in accordance withsaid first and second tier validation inputs.
 10. A method according toclaim 9, wherein the step of conducting the first tier validationprocess comprises requesting at least a first tier validation input fromthe user, the first tier validation input comprising a request for theuser to select a jurisdiction from an existing database of countries orregions and once selected, applying the appropriate standards andparameters to the breathalyzer including but not limited to Blood BreathRatio (BBR), sampling criteria and other parameters required by theprevailing breathalyzer standard in the jurisdiction or by legalrequirements.
 11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the step ofconducting the second tier validation process comprises requesting atleast a second tier validation input from the user, the second tiervalidation input comprising at least one of alcohol BAC/BrAC thresholds,user age, experience or vehicle type.
 12. A method according to claim 9,wherein the process of selecting the jurisdiction in the first tiervalidation process comprises automatically determining the location ofthe breathalyzer unit by way of locating means which instantaneouslyand/or continuously determine said location.
 13. A method according toclaim 12, wherein the step of using the locating means comprises usingGPS signals, Wi-Fi location, Bluetooth location or other method ofdetermining location.
 14. A breathalyzer adapted to perform the steps ofclaim
 8. 15. A coaching methodology substantially as hereinbeforedescribed with reference to, or as illustrated in any of FIGS. 1 and 3.16. A method of adjusting a breathalyzer unit's parameters to accountfor variations in jurisdictional standards as hereinbefore describedwith reference to, or as illustrated in any of FIGS. 2 and 3.